For the afternoon activity, students split up into different groups, each with a different guest speaker to discuss issues that UNICEF are trying to tackle. In my group, we attended a talk on ending child violence which was presented by Rudina Vojvoda. We were told about UNICEF’s aim to end violence against children in partnership with a number of other top organisations such as UNESCO, the UN and the British Government.
We discussed what we, as students, believed to be the cause of violence and bullying in schools, and possible measures to counteract these problems. One in three children experience bullying at some point in their school lives, reinforcing the idea that something needs to change in our global education system. Ideas such as support groups, improving student body representation within schools, and further education on empathy, tolerance and awareness were all ideas that were put on the table.
Ms. Vojvoda listened to all our points and opinions with interest, because UNICEF believes that to eradicate violence within schools, and said, “Young people have to tell us what they need and want.”